January 20, 2011

Fired aide asked employees for $100 to Stroger campaign fund

A Cook County Human Resources Department manager pressured employees to contribute at least $100 each to a fundraiser last fall for outgoing County Board President Todd Stroger, county Inspector General Patrick Blanchard said in a report released today.

The human resources manager convened a meeting with subordinates and informed them of their expected donations to the Oct. 5 “Tribute to Todd Stroger” event held by Stroger’s political committee at the Excalibur nightclub, the report states. The manager already has been terminated, the report says.

Stroger came in last in a four-way Democratic primary election nearly a year ago. Former Chicago Ald. Toni Preckwinkle replaced him as board president last month.

Other incidents covered in the inspector general’s latest quarterly report, which includes findings by the county watchdog from October 2010 through the end of the year:

*A supervisor in the county’s troubled President’s Office of Employment training program failed to disclose a job applicant was a family member, then gave the applicant “the highest possible interview score.” The supervisor has been fired, the report states

*A county Highway Department parts manager fraudulently acquired equipment for personal use. The person has been terminated, and Blanchard has issued recommendations to help prevent theft within the department.

*A Highway Department manager tampered with a laid-off worker’s human resources form so it would seem the worker had been on the payroll within the past two years, and would be eligible to be re-hired without posting the position. The manager and worker were terminated.

*A Forest Preserve District supervisor used a county vehicle to travel home, to a political fundraiser and several other non-work locations . The supervisor has been fired.

All 50 aldermen on the Chicago City Council had to file paperwork earlier this year detailing their outside income and gifts. The Tribune took that ethics paperwork and posted the information here for you to see. You can search by ward number or alderman's last name.

The Cook County Assessor's office has put together lists of projected median property tax bills for all suburban towns and city neighborhoods. We've posted them for you to get a look at who's paying more and who's paying less.

Past posts

Clout has a special meaning in Chicago, where it can be a noun, a verb or an adjective. This exercise of political influence in a uniquely Chicago style was chronicled in the Tribune cartoon "Clout Street" in the early 1980s. Clout Street, the blog, offers an inside look at the politics practiced from Chicago's City Hall to the Statehouse in Springfield, through the eyes of the Tribune's political and government reporters.